The Girl From North Carolina
by roadtoforever
Summary: Angela's past comes back to haunt her once again, bringing even more drama to her life in the midst of her search for her husband. Spoilers up to 3x10. Chapter Five up.
1. Chapter 1

**The Girl From North Carolina**

**Angela**

"You're not a horrible person," he whispers, holding you close to him. "Stop saying that."

"I should have told you."

He shrugs, kissing your hair. "Baby, it's fine. Tell me now."

You nod and squirm out of his embrace, reaching for the box you stashed behind your shoes when you moved in. You begin to spread things out on the bed, trying to find a chronological order for everything. "I was 17," you say, handing him a picture your father took of you at your high school graduation. "You can't tell because of the gown, but I was six months along."

He smiles as he looks at the picture. "Even then, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

You sigh softly. "Jack…"

He laughs, "Sorry." You roll your eyes and continue going through the photographs, showing him the family you gave the baby to, your daughter's first professional photograph; her first birthday. You hand him a photo of her on her third birthday and he lets out a soft gasp, causing you to turn.

"What is it?" You ask, noticing the tears forming in his eyes. "Hodgins?"

"She looks just like you," You smile and he glances over the top of the picture at you. "I hope _our_ children look just like you." You let out a soft giggle and kiss him. He hugs you close and asks you to continue. You tell him how you've watched her grow up through pictures and heard about her through letters and emails. She's an artist like you, and a singer like your father. She's confident, and beautiful, and she has lots of friends, but her whole world is about to change.

"Tell me what happened again." He says softly as you put the pictures and letters away.

"Her parents were killed in a car accident two weeks ago. Their will said they would prefer she live with me, but if I'm not ready there's family she can live with."

He nods, "How old is she?"

"14." You sigh, shaking your head. "I can't believe she's that old."

He smiles, "Do you think she would want to live with us?"

"I-I don't know."

"Why don't we find out?" He says, running his fingers through your hair. "There's more than enough room here, and I'm ready if you're ready."

"Are you sure, Jack?" You lace your fingers through his. "Teenage girls are tough."

"I can handle it, Ange." He smiles. "If she wants to live with us, she should."

You smile and kiss him and he hugs you tight. "You had no idea I came with this much baggage, did you? A husband, a child…"

He smirks. "It just makes me love you even more."

∞

You call the lawyer the next morning and she asks you to fly to Charlotte, where the family lived. Jack thinks that ambushing her with both of you would be too much, so he takes you to the airport but you fly to Charlotte by yourself. You're scared, but you spend the whole flight trying not to be. You can't really imagine what she's going through.

The lawyer meets you at baggage claim. She's tall and blonde and reminds you of the lawyer Booth dated for a while. She addresses you as "Ms. Montenegro" and even though you insist that she call you Angela, it takes her the whole car ride to get used to it.

"Juliette is excited to meet you," She says softly as you pull up in front of a white house with blue shutters; the kind of home you always wanted your little girl to grow up in. "She's a little nervous though."

"Well, so am I." The lawyer nods and you get out of the car, heading in the front door. The house is relatively quiet, but you can hear the chatter of family members coming from somewhere in the house. The lawyer leads you out back and you immediately see her and stop in your tracks. Juliette has long dark hair and facial features that remind you of your mother, and she's sitting on a swing, staring at the bark underneath her. You cross the backyard and stop in front of her. "Juliette?" The girl looks up, her chocolate brown eyes filled with tears. "Hi. I'm Angela." You say softly. "Is it okay if I sit down?"

"Sure." She brushes her hair out of her face and takes a breath. "So you're my mom?"

You nod. "Yeah, I'm your birth mom." The two of you sit in silence for a few minutes before you think of something else to say. "Do you like to swing?"

"Yeah," She manages a small smile. "I feel like I'm flying."

You nod. "Me too. My fiancée took me to a park on our first date."

Her eyes widen a little and she giggles. "Really?"

"Yeah. He remembered how much I like swinging, so he thought it would be a good first date."

"Was it?"

"Well I'm engaged to him, aren't I?"

She laughs softly and starts to pump her legs. "Will I get to meet him?"

"Of course." You smile and start to pump your own legs, swinging with her. "Jack wants you to come live with us…if you want to."

Juliette's face screws up in thought as she continues to go higher. "I-I don't know…"

"It's alright, you don't have to know." You watch as her hair flies in the wind and it reminds you of your own childhood. "We could do a trial, if you want. How much more of your Christmas break do you have?"

"I'm supposed to go back on January 2nd."

"Well that gives us…" You frown. "That doesn't give us very long."

"I don't like my school anyway."

"You don't? I thought you had a lot of friends."

"We've only been in Charlotte since August. All of my friends are back in Raleigh."

"Oh." You frown. "Things have changed a lot for you recently, haven't they?" She nods slowly and tears start to stream down her face. "Oh, sweetie…" Her face wrinkles up and she stops swinging. "What if you come live with us until the end of the school year? If you don't like it, maybe you can go back to Raleigh."

"My Aunt Nora lives in Raleigh." She wipes at her tears and takes a shaky breath. "She said I could live with her."

You nod. "Alright. Well you do you want to go right to Raleigh then?"

Juliette looks over at you and shakes her head. "I like the idea of trying."

You smile. "Me too, sweetie." You stand up and open your arms and she steps into them, wrapping her arms around you. You haven't held her since she was a day old and when you wrap your arms around her small body you find yourself not wanting to let go.

∞

When you arrive at Dulles International two days later, Jack is waiting at baggage claim. He hugs you and presses a kiss to your hair before stepping back and smiling at Juliette. "Hey."

"Hi." She smiles softly. "Are you the one that took her swinging?"

He laughs. "I am. I think that's the only reason she agreed to marry me."

"You mean asked _you_ to marry _me_." You say, smirking. He shakes his head and laughs and you squeeze his hand. "Have you got everything?" You ask and Juliette nods, pointing to the black suitcase next to her.

"Is that it?" Jack asks, turning to look at you.

"The rest of it is being sent." He nods and picks up both your suitcase and Juliette's, leading you out to the car.

"So, I was thinking we could get you settled, and then Brennan, Zack and Cam wanted to have dinner." He looks straight at Juliette, his blue eyes twinkling. "As long as you're up for it. We don't have to go to dinner if you don't want to."

Juliette grins. "I want to meet Zack. Angela said he's King of the Lab."

Jack's face falls. "What?"

Juliette giggles and you lean over and kiss his cheek. "I was just kidding." She says, opening the back door of the car. "But I like the idea of dinner."

He nods and opens the passenger door for you. "Did you tell her to say that?"

You shake your head. "Nope. All I did was tell her that you guys play that game…" He rolls his eyes and you kiss him softly. "She's pretty bright."

He smirks. "Just like her mom."

∞

Jack takes Juliette up to her room, which you've promised her she'll get to decorate soon, and then comes back down to the kitchen.

"She's a sweet kid, Ange."

"She's great." You sit on the barstool, swinging your legs and take a breath. "She didn't really get a Christmas, so I was thinking, maybe we could have one for her."

He nods and sits down next to you. "I like that idea. The tree is still up, so we can get her some gifts…" You smile and kiss him, and his fingers lace through your hair. Your barstool scoots closer to his and by the time Juliette comes down into the kitchen half an hour later, you're in his lap, lips still fused together.

"I got…oh. Sorry." You pull away from him and turn red as you slide off of his lap. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"We're not used to having a third person in the main house." You say, turning to look at her. She's nearly as red as you are. "Zack lives above the garage, but he doesn't come in here much."

"Oh." She shifts back and forth on her feet. "I got lost."

Jack laughs and turns around. "That will happen for a while. Ange used to get lost a lot too."

You nod. "I did. You'll get used to the size of the house."

"Okay." She smiles. "I like my room."

"Oh good, I'm glad." Jack smiles. "The furniture was my mothers when she was your age. You can paint the room and rearrange the furniture. It's all yours now."

"Thanks." She walks further into the kitchen and sits down at the counter. "What time is dinner?"

"Not for a few hours." You say, watching her frown. "Are you hungry?" She nods and you grin. "Help yourself. You live here now, you don't have to ask for food."

She smiles and heads for the fridge, starting to dig through it. Jack squeezes your hand and you smile. She's going to fit right in.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Girl From North Carolina**

**Angela**

When you pull up in front of the restaurant, you can see your friends sitting at a table in the back. Cam looks like she's just come from a hot date, as usual, and Zack is laughing, his mouth hanging wide open. Brennan and Booth are facing away from you, but you're just glad Booth decided to show. The three of you head inside, and just as you're about to get to the table Juliette stops and Jack nearly knocks her over when he runs into her.

"Juliette?" You rest your hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Who are the ones facing away from us?" She asks softly.

"That's Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan. Why?"

"They look like my parents," Juliette reaches for your hand. "I thought they were my parents."

You nod and squeeze her hand. "It's okay to think that you see them. It just means you miss them."

She nods slowly and then looks up at you, her chocolate eyes meeting yours. "Sorry."

You smile and kiss her forehead. "Don't apologize, sweetie. It's perfectly alright." She smiles softly and you lead her to the table.

"Hey!" Booth grins widely when you reach the table. "How are you guys?"

"Good." The three of you sit and you run your fingers through Juliette's hair. "Everyone, this is Juliette."

"Hey," Zack wipes his hands on a napkin and reaches to shake her hand. "I'm Zack Addy."

Juliette shakes his hand and giggles. "_You're_ the one that plays King of the Lab with Jack?" Zack turns a little red and nods. "No wonder he always wins." Zack's eyes widen and the rest of the table laughs, causing Juliette to beam.

"I like this kid," Booth says as the laughter begins to die down. Juliette is still grinning when he reaches across the table to shake her hand. "I'm Seeley Booth."

"It's nice to meet you." She looks around the table after Cam and Brennan introduce themselves. "So, you all work together?"

"We do." Brennan says, smiling. "At the Jeffersonian."

Juliette nods. "Angela says that it's a pretty cool place."

"It is," Cam grins. "If you come to work with Angela and Jack I'll give you a tour."

"Okay!" The wide grin on Juliette's face makes you smile. "Maybe I could just hang out there instead of going to school."

Jack laughs and you squeeze her shoulder. "Even though you'd probably learning more, I don't think that's going to happen sweets." Juliette wrinkles her nose and you shrug. "Sorry."

"Oh come on, Angela." Booth grins. "You'd be great at home-schooling."

"Please, don't give her any ideas." Juliette pouts and everyone else laughs. "We'll talk about it later." She nods reluctantly and the waiter comes, distracting her for just long enough for you to glare at the rest of them. You're already new enough at this, they don't need to be making your job any harder.

∞

When Juliette gets up to use the restroom near the end of dinner, the others start to talk rapidly.

"She's amazing, Ange." "She looks just like you." "She's hysterical." "I can't believe how much she's like you…"

"She's pretty great, isn't she?" You grin widely and Jack squeezes your hand.

"Where are you going to send her for school?" Zack asks, stealing a fry off of Juliette's plate.

"I don't—_we_ don't know yet," You say, stealing a glance at Jack. "But she's certainly not going to be homeschooled. Thanks for your help on that one, by the way."

"The percentage of children who are homeschooled that end up doing well in college is actually higher than the percentage of those that go to even a private school." Brennan says, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Bren,_please_. Unless you're going to teach her, no more suggestions about home-schooling…or even Jeffersonian-schooling, okay?" She nods and Juliette comes back to the table, sitting down and immediately reprimanding Zack for stealing a fry.

"How did you know that?" Jack asks, leaning around you to look at her. His hand is resting low on your back and you can't help but smile. His small gestures make your heart swell.

Juliette shrugs. "I don't know. It just looked like one was missing."

He laughs. "Well alright then."

"Hey, Juliette, maybe tomorrow after you and Angela check out high schools you guys can come have lunch at the FBI Building." Booth says, smiling.

Juliette frowns. "We have to check out high schools tomorrow?"

You nod. "Yeah, sweetie. We need to figure out where you're going to go this term."

She crosses her arms over her chest. "I thought you said we were going to talk about it later. How come I can't be homeschooled?"

"Jules, high school isn't that bad…" You get ready to launch into a speech about how much loved high school (even if it isn't true) when you realize that there are tears on her cheeks. "Oh, honey, it's not that bad. You'll make friends soon enough…"

She shakes her head. "P-please don't call me Jules." She sniffles, wiping the tears off her cheeks. "My M-mom, she called me Jules."

Your heart breaks into a million little pieces and you feel Jack's hand tighten around your waist, but you nod. "I'm sorry, Juliette, I didn't know."

"I-it's okay, just…" She swallows hard and runs her fingers through her hair. "D-don't, okay?"

You nod. "I promise, I won't." You squeeze her hand and take a slow breath. You manage a smile when Brennan cocks an eyebrow at you and manage to sit through the rest of the dinner just fine. Brennan and Booth offer to take Juliette to the Jeffersonian to look around, and when you okay it, Juliette heads off to Booth's car and you immediately burst into tears.

"Ange, baby…" Jack hugs you to him and when you look up a few minutes later Cam and Zack are gone, cash for their bills resting on the tables. "She's new at this too, you know."

"I know," you say softly. "It hurt. Nothing has ever hurt that much._My Mom called me Jules_." You say softly, taking a shaky breath. "What am I, chopped liver?"

Jack laughs at your use of a much too old expression. "You're the new sheriff in town and she doesn't like it. I think she was hoping you'd be easy to convince of things."

"Yeah well that's not happening."

He laughs and kisses the top of your head. "Come on baby, let's go home."

∞

**Juliette**

You're scared. Terrified, really. It's less about where you are and more about the bones that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth are showing you in the dark, but that on top of everything else is just too much.

"You alright?" Dr. Brennan's voice startles you and you almost knock over something you're sure shouldn't break. "Is all of this scaring you?"

"N-no, not really." You shrug and she leads you into her office, turning on the lights.

"It's less creepy during the day," She says, perching on her desk as you settle in her desk chair.

"The bones don't scare me," You say, knowing that's true. "I don't really know what's scaring me."

"Oh, uh, okay…"

"I guess I'm just nervous about being in a new place." You say, noticing her start to look a little nervous. "What?"

"I'm really not the psychological one in the family. That's Angela."

"Yeah, well, I can't really…wait, did you say family?" You run your fingers through your hair and she nods. "Are you related to Angela?"

"Well no, not really." Brennan clears her throat. "I guess we aren't_really_ a family, but we like to think we are. Zack's the baby, Hodgins is the bug-obsessed middle brother, Angela's the wild-child…and Booth is the over-protective older brother that most people get aggravated with." She says, smirking as he glares at her when he comes in.

"And Bones is the annoying know-it-all oldest child that no one really likes," He snaps, sitting down on the couch.

"Who's Bones?" You ask, tucking your hands in your jacket pockets. "And if you guys are a family, isn't it kind of weird that Angela and Jack are together?"

"I'm Bones," Dr. Brennan says, laughing. "And no, it's not. It seems really right."

Booth shrugs. "She's too hot for him, but otherwise, sure, it's pretty right."

You laugh and spin around in the chair. "He's pretty great."

"So is Angela." The chair stops spinning and you come face-to-face with Dr. Brennan. "Don't spin in my chair. And don't make Angela cry."

You cock an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" Dr. Brennan's face hardens and all of a sudden you get a little scared. "Um, Dr. Brennan…?"

"Bones…" You see Booth's hand rest on the doctor's shoulder, but she ignores him.

"Angela is my best friend. She's strong and talented and loving and I hardly ever see her cry but when you told her not to call you Jules because that's what your _Mom_ called you, she was hurt." Your stomach drops and you swallow hard. "I know you're struggling with all of this, but so is she."

"Yeah, because she didn't want me in the first place and now she's stuck with me." You snap.

Within seconds Dr. Brennan has been moved out of the way and Booth is crouching in front of you. "You really think that's the case? You really think Angela dropped everything and flew to Charlotte the day after she found out about your parents because she's _stuck_ with you?" Booth shook his head. "Think again, Juliette."

You take a deep breath and hug your arms closer to your body. "Can you take me back to Jack's house?" Booth nods and you slide out of the chair, hands still tucked in your pockets. You aren't sure what it is you're feeling, but you don't like it.

∞

When you arrive back at the house, the door is unlocked so you let yourself in and lock the door behind you. You can hear music coming from the kitchen so you kick off your shoes and head in that direction. It takes you a minute to recognize the song, but you reach the kitchen just as the chorus hits and what you see stops you in your tracks.

Angela and Jack are dancing (or something, after all, they're listening to ZZ Top) and you can't help but smile. You lean against the wall, noticing how Jack can't seem to take his eyes off of Angela. You slide down the wall and watch them, fighting to keep your eyes open.

You wake up when Jack is carrying you up the stairs, Angela leading the way. He tucks you into bed and Angela kisses your forehead. You roll onto your side and open your eyes. "Mo—Angela?" She turns, a little startled that you're awake. "I'm sorry."

She smiles and crosses the room, hugging you. "It's alright sweetie." She runs her fingers through your hair and hugs you tighter. "Sleep tight, okay? We'll talk in the morning." You nod and snuggle back under the covers. They leave and it isn't until you're nearly asleep that you realize that what you'd been feeling all night was a mix of guilt and sadness, and you have a feeling you won't be able to get rid of it for a while.

**Please review! Thanks - Mel.**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I don't actually know how many of you are reading this since I'm not getting many comments, but I'm hoping you guys like this chapter. I took this somewhere I didn't think I was going to, but I think it'll be interesting. Hope you like it!

**The Girl From North Carolina**

**Jack**

When you arrive at the Jeffersonian the next morning, everyone seems to be waiting for you. Brennan wants to know how Angela is, Cam wants to know when Angela is coming in; Zack wants to know when he'll get to see Juliette again. You answer all of their questions, telling them that Angela is doing fine, she'll be in around noon, and that Zack's going to have to ask _her_ if he wants his questions answered. You take the case that Booth dropped off for you and head to Angela's office, shutting the door behind you for a little quiet. You're working on a list of things you need to investigate for Booth when the door opens.

"You're in my chair."

You look up and grin. "You're in early."

She fell in love with the second school we went to."

"That's great."

"Yeah." She perches on the edge of the desk. "Jeremy took her home. The rest of her things are supposed to be arriving today and she wanted to unpack."

"Well that's good, right?" You reach for her hand, running your thumb over her engagement ring.

"It is." She smiles and stills your hand. "The private investigator called. He's agreed to a divorce if I come see him."

"Oh."

"Alone."

You shake your head. "No."

"Jack…"

"Angela, I don't want you going by yourself!"

"We're just going to have some coffee and sign the papers." She frowns. "I'll only be gone a few days."

"I don't trust him."

She settles on your lap, trying to distract you. "You can trust me…"

"I know I can." You say, resting your chin on her shoulder. "And I do, but I don't trust him and I would rather be there with you."

"He won't sign the papers if you come." She kisses the top of your head. "Besides, we can't take Juliette. School will have started."

You sigh softly. "Promise you'll call me every night?"

"I promise." She says, lifting your chin. "And when I get back we can really start planning the wedding."

You smile and kiss her. "Alright. I still don't like it, but I suppose I can deal with it."

"Good." You pull her close to you and she wraps her arms around your neck, hugging you tight. "Zack wants to hang out with Juliette again." She smirks. "Maybe tonight she can spend some time with him."

"Yeah?" You raise your eyebrows and she giggles, her eyes twinkling. "I like that idea."

"Me too." She kisses you and then slides off of your lap. "Give me back my chair.

You laugh and shift uncomfortably. "Give me a sec."

∞

On New Years Eve, Juliette spends the evening watching old movies with Zack, so you and Angela have the place to yourselves. When the grandfather clock that hangs in the master bedroom strikes 12 you kiss her fiercely, pressing your already naked bodies together.

"What are your New Years' resolutions?" She asks, snuggling close to you.

"Be all about dirt and Angela." You smirk. "Oh wait…"

She laughs and smacks your chest. "Come on Hodgie. Real ones."

You shrug. "I don't know, Ange. I'm happy. I don't feel like I need to change anything." She nods. "Do you have any?"

"Be a good mom, I guess." She sighs. "That still sounds weird coming out of my mouth."

You smile. "Angie, you're a great mom. It's hard because Juliette was raised by people who are very different from us, but you're doing good."

"You think so?"

You nod. "I know so."

∞

**Juliette**

When the New Year rolls around, you're huddled under a blanket on Zack's couch, watching _Casablanca_. Zack kisses your cheek and wishes you a Happy New Year, and you turn a little red but wish him the same and go back to watching the movie. The thing is; you're not really watching the movie. January 1st means that in three days you start school. It also means that in four days Angela leaves to spend three days trying to convince her current husband to become her ex-husband so that her current husband can be Jack.

"Are you alright?"

Zack's voice startles you and you jump. "Uh, yeah."

"Are you lying?"

"N-no…" He cocks an eyebrow, which is kind of a funny look for him, and you sigh. "Okay maybe. I'm worried about school and Angela leaving and all of that."

"Angela's going to be fine."

You laugh softly. "I'm not worried about Angela, I'm worried about me."

He smiles. "Juliette, choosing to live with Angela meant that you chose the rest of us too."

You wrinkle your nose. "Well if I'd known that…"

He smirks. "Everything's going to be fine. Booth will beat up anyone who hurts you at school, and I think Cam is good for advice. You've got a bigger family than just Jack and Angela, kid."

You smile. "Thanks, Zacaroni." He laughs and you stand, wrapping the blanket tighter around you. "I need some sleep." He nods and takes you back to the house. You lock the front door behind you and head up to your room, tracing your hands over the engravings on the staircase as you head up. This house is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, and you love just exploring it. When you reach the top of the stairs you decide to forgo knocking on the master bedroom door, for safety's sake, and head to the other end of the hall, where your own room is. You slide into the room and change into pajamas before opening the balcony doors and stepping out into the cold. You shiver a little at first but otherwise it doesn't really bother you, and you stare out across the grounds, watching the trees sway in the winter wind.

"You're going to freeze to death." Angela's voice makes you start, and you hug your arms around your stomach. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright," You say, smiling. "You just startled me."

"What are you doing out here?"

"Just…watching the wind," You smile softly. "I love the wind."

Angela nods. "Me too."

The two of you stand on the balcony in silence for a few minutes before you clear your throat. "Do you have to go?"

She smiles and pulls you into her arms. "I do, sweetie. I know it's bad timing, but I want to marry Jack, and I can't until my divorce is final."

You nod slowly, hugging her. "What if I need you?"

"I'm only a phone call away, honey. And Jack is here, and everyone else."

"O-okay."

"I'll only be gone a few days. Everything is going to be fine."

You nod and hug her tighter. You know she's right, but you just can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen.

∞

**Angela**

Your second night in the Florida key is awful. You can't sleep at all. You've spoken to Grayson already; he was supposed to take the divorce papers to his lawyer after you spoke, and you're meeting him for coffee in the morning. It's not Grayson and the divorce that is worrying you, but you can't figure out what it could be. You just spoke to Jack and Juliette, they're fine.

Around midnight, your phone rings. It's oddly comforting to hear the ZZ Top song and you reach for it, answering it quickly when you realize it's Jack.

"Ange?" His voice is shaky and your heart starts to pound. "It's Juliette."

"What's wrong? Is she alright?"

"She's gone."

"G-gone?" Your heart feels like it explodes and you sit up, turning on the light. "What do you mean, gone?"

"I've already called the police. S-she…I heard her scream, and by the time I got to her room, she was gone." He sighs. "The only thing left…there was a symbol left on her bed. I—Angie, I think it was Gormongon."

The last thing you remember is hearing yourself scream.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Girl From North Carolina**

Chapter Four

**Angela**

The twelve hours after Jack's phone call are a blur for you. Jack finally talks you down and tells you to call Grayson and come home, so when you hang up you immediately start packing. You then call Grayson, who agrees to meet you at the airport, and you check out around one. By the time you get to the airport you're shaking. Grayson arrives and hugs you tightly, whispering that everything will be fine. He hands you signed divorce papers and asks you to keep in touch before walking out of the airport.

You buy a ticket for the next flight to DC, but it's not non-stop. It stops in Charlotte and when the girl behind the counter tells you that you start to cry, your hands shaking as you hand her your credit card. You're still crying when you board the plane an hour later and it only gets worse when you land in Charlotte.

It isn't until you land in DC that you manage to regain your composure. You're pissed at this point. You're mad at Grayson for making you leave in the first place, Jack for not watching Juliette, and Gormongon for taking her; but mostly you're mad at yourself for not listening to Juliette when she said something bad was going to happen.

**Booth**

It hasn't hit this close to home in nearly a year. You still have nightmares about the last time, still dreading the possibility of losing Bones. But it's different this time, and you know it. This time you have _no_ idea where she is, this time she's a little girl; and this time, you're dealing with a cannibal.

Zach and Hodgins arrive at The Jeffersonian around two in the morning. Angela is on her way home, and the police are still searching Hodgins' place, but he's already been questioned and deemed 'not a suspect'.

It's tough for you to comfort him. Despite the fact that you've gotten closer over the last couple of years, you've never been in his place.

You take Cam with you to the crime scene, while Bones and Zach sit with Hodgins and wait for Angela.

"You think we'll find her?" Cam asks, carefully handling a recent picture of Juliette and Angela on a set of swings.

"We'll find her." You touch Cam's shoulder, looking out the window and watching the police lights that are searching the grounds. "I won't sleep until we find her." Cam nods and starts to search the room. You're still watching the search party when you hear her start to cry. "Cam?"

"I'm fine, Booth." You turn to look at her and she's sitting on the bed, holding her face in her hands. You sit down next to her and she folds herself into your arms.

"Camille," you rub her back softly. "We're going to find her."

"What if we don't, Seeley?" She takes a shaky breath and you hug her tighter. "What if I have to do an autopsy on a 14-year-old and then tell Angela how her daughter was murdered?"

"You won't have to." You kiss the top of her head. "I promise."

**Jack**

It's your fault. It's all your fault.

**Brennan**

Booth and Cam arrive back at The Jeffersonian around five in the morning. Angela still hasn't arrived yet, so you leave Cam and Zach with Hodgins and follow Booth to the Gormongon Vault.

"He's on The Scientist," Booth says, pointing to the tapestry that's sitting outside the vault. "We know he killed The Corruptor, we just don't have the body..."

"Booth." You let out a soft sigh. "I know all of this. What are you trying to tell me?"

He hands you the piece of fabric left on Juliette's bed. "It matches the one sent to you with the kneecaps."

You nod. "Yeah..."

He sighs. "I think Hodgins was the target and Juliette got in the way."

**Angela**

You arrive at The Jeffersonian around seven and immediately head for your office. Zach is the only one there when you walk in, and your heart immediately starts to pound.

"Where is everyone?" You ask, your voice cracking.

Zach looks up, a sympathetic look on his face. "Booth, Dr. Brennan and Dr. Saroyan are out with the search parties looking for Juliette. Hodgins is throwing up."

"Throwing up?" He nods and you sit down, right where you're standing, and put your face in your hands.

"Angela?" You feel Zach's hand on your shoulder but you don't move, you don't look up until you feel another hand on your shoulder and without even looking you throw your arms around his neck. You hear Zach leave the room and Hodgins pulls you closer, and you're both crying and he's whispering that everything is going to be alright, that Booth is going to find her and you're hugging him harder and then you pull away and smack him across the face.

"Oh." Your hand goes to your mouth. "Oh Jack..."

He shakes his head. "It's okay, I deserve it. I should have been watching her. I told her to close the balcony doors, that it was too cold to have them open, and I didn't check until I heard the doors banging around an hour later. She was gone by then."

You hug him and kiss his cheek. "It's not your fault, though. It's not like you handed her to him."

"They think I was the target." He says softly. "Booth thinks that _I_ am The Scientist."

You shake your head. "That doesn't make any sense. Gavin, Doug and Ray went on that trip to Turkey, and you didn't go on that."

"I know, but she was taken from our house. And he's on The Scientist..."

"No." You take his hand, lacing your fingers together. "There's another reason for it, I'm sure of it."

He nods and you rest your head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," He whispers. "God, Ange, I'm so sorry."

You open your mouth to tell him not to apologize when your phone rings in your purse. You reach for it and answer, even though you don't recognize the number. "Angela Montenegro."

"Angela? It's Nora Carlson. You called me last night."

"Yes," You take a deep breath. "Juliette has gone missing."

"M-missing?"

"Yes. Last night around midnight she disappeared from the home I share with Jack Hodgins. The FBI is out looking for her now." There is silence on the other end and you start to panic. "Nora? Nora, are you there?"

"I knew this was a bad idea. I knew it was...but Juliette wanted to live with you so badly..."

"I thought this was her parents' idea?"

"No. Custody of Juliette was given to me after their death. I gave her permission to track you down and spend some time with you."

"Oh." You let out a breath. "Nora, did Greg or Anna have any enemies or anything?"

"Of course not!"

"Look, we're just trying to find out what happened. What did Anna do?"

"She was a fifth grade teacher."

"And Greg?"

Nora sighed. "He'd just started as the head of the Biological Sciences department at Queens University of Charlotte."

"He was a science professor?" Jacks eyes widen and you let out a breath.

"Yes. He taught Biology at St. Augustine's here in Raleigh until last June."

You take a breath. "Nora, did Greg go to Turkey?"

Nora was silent for a minute and then she cleared her throat. "I think he did. His colleague was supposed to go...yes, that's right. Greg got a spot at the last minute." She laughed. "He met that Gavin something...the violinist."

"Gavin Nichols?"

"Yeah...I think that was his name. Why?"

"It's just part of the case." You look over at Jack, who is sitting against your desk, head practically in his lap. "Nora, I'm sorry, I need to go. I'll call you as soon as I have more information."

"Oh...well, alright." Nora hangs up and you put your phone back in your bag.

"Jack?" He didn't look up so you crawl across the floor and put your hand on his leg.

"We have to find her." He whispers. "Gormongon might be trying to replace her father with her..." When he looks up, his eyes are red and you let out a soft gasp. "Angela, we have to find her."

"I know we do, sweetie." You hug him and start to cry softly. "I know we do."

**Gormongon**

She's more brave than you thought she would be. Especially for a 14-year-old that was half-asleep when you grabbed her.

Her father was supposed to be your next target, but when you learned he had died, you had a better idea. You'd move in on one of the scientists. Scare them all a little bit. Jack Hodgins was the closest male to the girl, so you decided on him. The house he lives in his huge, so you went through the only open doors you could find on the back side of the house, and it just so happened to be her room. She stopped you, asking you not to take him, so you snagged her instead.

The only problem is that you don't really know what to do with girls. You deal with men, boys...not girls or women. You assume it would be the same, but she looks so peaceful. She fell asleep roughly an hour ago, and you can't bear to do anything to her.

So instead, you decide to torture the scientists. You finish boxing up the package and address it properly: Angela Montenegro and Jack Hodgins, c/o The Jeffersonian Museum.

Boy are they in for a treat.

**Please review! 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Girl From North Carolina**

Chapter Five

**Angela**

When you wake in the morning, you're only warm because Jack is holding you so tightly. You made love for hours the night before, trying to distract yourselves from what is currently going on. You spent the day searching with Brennan, and when she finally convinced you to go home you sat in Juliette's room and cried until Jack got home from spending the day with Booth.

You shift in his arms, and he pulls you closer and tangles his fingers in your hair and you smile because that means he's awake. "Jack..."

"Shh." He whispers, burying his face in your neck. "Let's go back to sleep."

You laugh for the first time in days and press a kiss to the top of his head. "Hodgie..." He pulls back to look at you and you let out a soft breath. His eyes are red and the vibrant blue that usually stares back at you is much paler and slight grey. "Oh, Jack...did you sleep at all?" He shakes his head and you kiss him softly, cupping his cheek. "Why, sweetie?"

He shrugs. "I was watching you sleep." You smile softly and he sighs. "I think I was a-a little afraid something would happen to you if I fell asleep."

You shake your head and guide his head back to the crook of your neck. "Nothing is going to happen to me." You say softly, rubbing his back. "I'm not going anywhere." You feel him start to relax and you kiss the top of his head. "Everything is going to be fine."

§

**Dr. Zach Addy**

The box arrived first thing in the morning, you know because you were asleep in Angela's office when Dr. Saroyan came in with it, asking you to open it even though it's addressed to Jack and Angela. You've been living at the Jeffersonian since Juliette disappeared. You can't bring yourself to go back to Hodgins' place, not until she's been found. You hate cases like this, the ones that involve kids, and you usually try to distance yourself but this time you have to help.

The problem is that it's really starting to get to you. Brennan told you to treat it like any other case, but it's hard. You've spent time with her, watching Cary Grant movies and talking about how much she wants to be like Angela when she grows up.

What makes the whole thing worse is the smell when you open the box. You dump it on to the table and have to try really hard not to vomit. A finger (male, mid-forties, clearly not Juliette's) spills out from among the bloody cloths. You process everything you're supposed to, and then you sit in the nearest chair and take a deep breath. You aren't really sure what this is supposed to mean, but you know it's not good. When Cam arrives back at The Jeffersonian an hour later, you show her everything, but she doesn't seem to be paying any attention.

"They've found a body." She says softly, and your throat starts to close up. "They won't tell me anything about it, but depending on how decomposed it is..."

"It's not her," You say softly. "It can't be her."

"Zach..."

"It won't be her." You shake your head slowly. "It won't."

§

**Booth**

The dogs found the body. You called Bones in and she identified the body as female, early teens, though she wasn't sure how long dead. You sent her home afterwards and had the body taken back to The Jeffersonian. Cam hung up on you when you told her.

Now you're knocking on the door of Hodgins' mansion, your heart banging in your chest. The butler opens the door and you introduce yourself and ask for Angela.

It takes nearly ten minutes for Angela to come in to the foyer and when she finally does she looks terrified.

"Booth," she swallows. "What's going on?"

"We found a body a few miles from here. Bones identified it as a teenage girl." You watch her face call and you reach for her hand. "The body is on the way to the lab. Cam and Zach are going to examine the victim, and..." You stop talking because her hand is over her face and her body is shaking, so you pull her in to a hug and she starts to sob. "We don't know that it's her, Angela. It could be..."

"It could be someone else's little girl." She sobs and you nod.

"I know."

You hold her for a little longer and then Hodgins comes in to the foyer and she turns and folds herself into his arms.

"What happened?" He asks softly and you hear Angela whisper something and he hugs her tighter.

"I'll call you when we know." You say softly, and turn to leave.

"Wait." Angela turns around. "I want to go."

"Angie..." Hodgins touches her shoulder. "I don't know, baby."

"I want to go. If it's Juliette I want to see her and if it's not, I want to help."

You look at Hodgins, who shrugs, so you nod. "Okay, Angela. I'll wait for you." She smiles and kisses your cheek before heading up the stairs to change.

Hodgins grabs his jacket from where it was hanging next to the door. "I'm coming too."

"I figured." You look at your watch. "How about I meet you guys there? Will that work?" Hodgins nods and you leave, getting back in the SUV just in time for your phone to ring.

"Booth."

"Hi." Brennan's voice comes softly over the line and you let out a soft sigh. She sounds pained. "Have Cam and Zach found anything yet?"

"I don't know, Bones. They probably just got the body."

"Oh."

"If you want to come, you should. Angela is coming."

"Okay."

"She might need you."

"Yeah, okay." She's silent on the other end and you start the car and shift into reverse. "Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones."

"What if it's her?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

§

**Dr. Camille Saroyan**

"Female, 14 years of age, dead around 12 hours." You choke out the words as Angela, Hodgins, Booth and Brennan stare back at you. "Dr. Addy is having the dental records checked out at this time."

Angela, who has been staring at you since she came in, finally looks down at the body and lets out a breath. "I don't think it's her."

"Ange..." Brennan grips her friends hand.

"No, really. The nose is different." Angela looks across the body at you and smiles. "It's not Juliette."

"Do you think you could draw her face?"

"Of course." Angela leaves the room and Hodgins lets out a breath.

"I hope she's right." He says, rubbing his hands over his face.

"She is." Zach comes in to the room and hands you the dental records. "The victim is 14-year-old Meghan Andrews. We've got dental record confirmation but no picture."

Hodgins lets out a sigh of relief and hits his knees next to the table. You watch Booth run out of the room and head for the front door of The Jeffersonian, already on his phone. Things kick in to high gear as your team throws themselves in to the new case, hoping to distract themselves from the still missing member of the family.

Out of the corner of your eye you see Zach telling Angela about the finger that came in a box this morning, and she takes it from him and heads for the vault. He starts to follow, but you stop him, tiptoeing after Angela on your own.

You watch as she heads to the skeleton at the back of the vault, taking the middle finger off of the right hand and replacing it with the bone in her hand.

"Okay!" She shouts, staring up at the mirror in the corner. "That's what you wanted, right? Now give her back." Angela takes a breath and you bite your lip. "She's no good to you, please. Please give her back." She bursts in to tears and hits her knees and you kneel down next to her, hugging her tightly. "I need her." She whispers. "I need that little girl more than anything."

"I know, Ange." You sigh. "I know."

§

**Juliette**

It's dark. It's always dark. The blindfold has been on for days...you don't even know how long it's been at this point. You've managed to sleep a little, but it was never the kind of sleep you needed. You would dream about Angela and Jack, about how you got in a fight with Jack about the stupid balcony doors, about how you were mad at Angela for leaving while you were still in your first week of school. All you wanted was to see them now, to get a bear hug from your soon-to-be stepfather and a genuine whisper of 'I love you' from your mother. You miss Zach and the stupid winter cap he wears, Booth and the way his eyes shine when he talks about Parker, Tempe and the way she always says, "I don't know what that means". You miss Cam and her facial expressions, Jack's love for dirt, Angela's artwork. Most of all, you miss your Mommy.

When the man you're with escorts you to a vehicle you start to get scared. You haven't spoken the whole time, refusing to give him the time of day, so you have to fight a serious urge to ask him where he's taking you. The car ride seems short, and when he helps you out of the van, you can hear the apology in his tone of voice. "I'm going to get back in my car now. Count to 15 and then take the blindfold off. Do you understand?" You nod and he squeezes your shoulder. You wait until you hear the car pull away (at about 7) before taking the blindfold off. You turn around and sigh, because you have no idea what kind of car would be driving away from you at this point, and since there are about 15 heading away from The Jeffersonian, there's nothing you can do. You head up the front steps and shakily ask the guard to call Angela Montenegro.

"You're the missing girl, aren't you?" He asks.

"Yes. I-I was just dropped off."

"By who?"

"I-I don't know his name." You start to cry. "Please, can you call my mom?" He nods and you sit down, slipping off your shoes. Your big toe hurts, and has bled through your sock. You remember running into a wall trying to find your way to a bathroom, but you didn't know how badly you'd damaged it.

You hear a clicking of heels and then a soft gasp and you look up, tears streaming down your face. "Mommy."


End file.
